1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to brassieres, and more particularly to a protective bra cage device for protecting a brassiere and other delicate undergarments during laundering in a washing machine.
2. Description of Related Art
Machine washing can easily damage a delicate brassiere. The garment protector of U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,013 alleviates that concern by using two domed-shaped basket members to hold the cups of the bra during laundering. After securing the cups tightly in the basket members with two hinged biasing members, the user rotates the basket members into a football-like configuration, locks them together, and proceeds to machine wash and dry the entire assembly.
Protecting the bra that way can help maintain the proper configuration of the cups without damage throughout the entire laundry cycle, but certain drawbacks exist. The hinged biasing members can put too much pressure on a delicate cup. They may not adequately adjust to and carefully hold various different bras, including sweater and pushup bras having different thicknesses of soft foam padding. The hinged biasing can introduce fabrication expense that might be avoided. Thus, consumers seek an improved device for protecting a bra during machine washing that is easier and less costly to fabricate while working better and lasting longer.